Laying Water Pipeline Beneath the Grand River
1886
In this view, looking from west to east across the Grand River, workers have stopped for a moment to have their picture taken. The wooden stagings were built across the river to hold a cast-iron water main 600 feet long and sixteen inches in diameter laid across the river. It was lowered bodily into a trench excavated in the rock at the bottom of the river.
Subjects
Full Details
| Title | Laying Water Pipeline Beneath the Grand River |
|---|---|
| Date | 1886 |
| Format | Photograph |
| Notes | Title by cataloger. The gentleman standing in the foreground, wearing the dark suit, may be William R. Coats who was in charge of the project. Coats was responsible for many hydraulic projects in the state of Michigan. The pipeline, a project of the Grand Rapids Hydraulic Co., a private water company, crossed the Grand River from the company's pumping station on Canal St. (Monroe) near Coldbrook Ave on the east bank, to the west bank of the river near 11th St. This project, which delivered water to the West Side of the city, was considered a remarkable feat of engineering at the time. The Hydraulic Co. pumping station, built in 1884, should not be confused with the city pumping station located at Monroe and Coldbrook. |
| Location In Photo | Grand Rapids, MI |
| Collection | Coll. #138-3-43, History & Special Collections Dept. |
| Rights | Reproduction and copyright information regarding this image is available from Grand Rapids History & Special Collections, Archives, Grand Rapids Public Library, Grand Rapids, MI |
| Institution | Grand Rapids Public Library |
| Physical Storage Location | Grand Rapids, MI |